Means for spacing reinforcing-bars



MEANS FOR SPACING REINFORCIYNG BARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23,1918- v Patented June 17, 1919.

A TTORNEYS.

WILLIAM E. WHITE, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOR SPACING REINFORCING-BARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1'7, 1919.

Application filed September 23, 1918. Serial No. 255,223.

I To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. IVHITE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Spacing Reinforcing- Bars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the art of concrete reinforcement. It has particular reference to a means for spacing reinforcing bars.

In this art of concrete reinforcement it is the common practice to space the reinforcing bars by means of other bars laid transversely upon the reinforcing bars and tied thereto by wiring the intersections. When these transverse bars are to Serve the'purpose of temperature bars as well as that of a spacing means during pouring their use is of course hlghly advisable. But, in

many instances where bars are used, the temperature function is of no moment, all that is really desired being the spacing prior to and during pouring. In these cases, the excess metal whose use is compelled by the use of bars as spacers, and the excess labor involved in tying the bars, is a dead loss. Only that amount of material and labor ought to be used which is necessary to perform properly the function of spacing the reinforcing bars prior toy and during pouring; It isto the practical solution of this problem that I have set myself and to which my invention relates.

The object of this invention, then, is to, furnish a practical means of lowest possible material and labor cost for the simplespacing of reinforcing bars. e i

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device of my invention, holding a reinforcing bar,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device, holding the bar;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device, holding the bar; V

Fig. 41 is a perspective view of a genes of bars spaced according to my invention;

Fig, 5 is a side elevation of a modified device embodying my invention, holding a bar; and a I Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the devlce illustrated in Fig. 5, holding the bar.

Referring now to the drawings and for the present, more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and l Aremforcmg bar is represented at B, it

-being of course understood that, in practice,

and as illustrated in Fig. 4, there will be a series of these bars to be held in spaced relation durlng the pouring of the concrete about them. To space these bars I provide the length of wire 1 extending from bar to bar'and receiving the bars. Now this wire is bendable by hand to form apocket 2 at each bar and is of such physical characteristics that it retains, under normal conditions, the form into which the workman bends it, being preferably, ordinary cheap annealed wire without material temper, as distinguished from being elastic and highly tempered. Thus, I use one of the least expensive forms of wire.- Again, this wire, being of relatively small cross-section contains far less metal, and so is far less expensive, than the spacing bars of common use. For combination with the wire, I pro vide for each pocket a substantially rigid clip 3 with looped ends 4 and 5, say, of stiff wire, and shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 1 as having its intermediate portion of similar wire integral with the ends. The function of the clip is to close the related pocket on its open side. But, since the wire 1 used retains its pocketed shape by virtue of its own characteristics these clips are not used to put the wire under stress and so bind or spring the wire about the bars. They are not for that purpose. Their purpose is to close the open sides of the pockets and link the wire at one side of the bend to that at the other side to present a closed pocket.

pocket, the clip will prevent the straightening out of the pocket.

The assembly is wholly by hand manipulation, no tools being required, and may be accomplished as follows Fig. 3) The workman first makes a locating kink 6 in the wire at the point where the first-applied loop, as l, is to be received; he then applies the loop 4L to the Wire at the bend 6; the bar to be pocketed is then brought into posltion, the clip passing beneath the bar so that the wire 1 can be bent and conform to the bar, and brought into engagement with the loop 5. On being brought into engagement with the loop 5 the wire 1 is then bent at the pomt 8 of engagement so that its-lengthwise direction lies toward the position at which the next bar is to be pocketed. This completes the operation for the particular bar in question, there being no elastic springing of the wire-outof shapeor snapping of theclip thereon, such time-consuming and tool-re quiring skilled labor being wholly uncalled for.

'VVhen appliedto the forms for the concrete, the wire, with the bars located there along and held in place, is fastened to the form, say at the ends of the wire, the wire being merely easily located without particu lar strainer tautening thereof andwith no 'purposeoi' straining of the wire to 't-auten it about the bars-the permanent pockets eliminate the necessity or desirability of any action of that character.

Itwill be seen that the construction set forth greatly reduces the expense of spacing the bars, both as tothe cost of materials and as to the cost of labor. Another advantage is that, since the attaching of the wire to the bars does not depend upon putting the wire under longitudinal stress or side spring, the bars can be assembled with the wire without the necessity of having the wire attached to rigid supports at its ends. That is, it is not necessary to attach the ends of the wire to rigid supports, strain the wire taut, and then apply the bars and clips by forcibly springing the wire out of shape and then snappingonthe clips to forcibly retain the wire in its new and unnatural position.

It will be noted that, as shown, the pocket, as 2, is in the character of a flared arch and ad acent its crown corresponds in shape to the uninterrupted surface of the bar. Also,

after thewire and bars are assembled, it is easily convenient to slidethe bars longitudinally of themselves through the pockets or rotate them, and also, because of the non strained character of the connections, to relocatethe pockets in'the wire. Thus fine adjustments of the bars can be made quickly and with a minimum of labor.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the modified form of clip illustrated embodies the same basic principles of inventlon and advantage as the major form, but has this distinction :The

intermediate portion, between the looped ends 4 and 5 of stifi wire, of the clip 3' includes (conveniently cast upon a shank 10 of similar wireintegral with the ends) a spacer or chair 9 of the same material, essentially, as the article being cast, say concrete, to space the bar from the form F. v

The advantage of this is that when the forms are removed'no portion of the clips metal will be exposed. This is of importance because, although it is desirable, on account of inexpensiveness and other practical cont'aining the bar in-position on the wireythe clip presentingtwo looped'ends and an'intermediate portion therebetween, the wire of said length'having physical characteristics permitting its easy bending into an open pocket to "receive the'b'ar and locate it onthe wire and its self-retention of such pocket,

and the looped ends'of the clip being-adapted to-receive thelength'of wire therein with an endadgacent a respective side of said pocket in the wire and said intermediate portion bridging and closing the'open'ing of the pocket whereby said pocket and; clip form,

in themselves, a closed bar I receptacle; substantially as described.

2. In the "art of concretereinforcement, the combination'of a reinforcing "bar-with a device for holding the barlocated, said tlevice compris'inga length of wire and mentively'stiff clip for pocketing and retaining the bar, the clippresenting two looped ends and an intermediate portion therebetween, the wire 'of said length having physical characteristics permitting its easy bending into an open pocket to receive-the bar and its self r'eten'tion of such -'pocket, the 'wire being so bent and so receiving said bar [and forming an arch with-its portion adjacent its crown in position to' contact with the bar at one side of the bar, the 'looped ends of the clip receivingthe length brwire therein with an end adjacent a respective foot of the arch and 'theintermediateportionof the clip spanning and closing' the opening ofthe pocket and linking the archsides together and being in position forcontact with the bar at the side thereof substantially opposite that with which the crown of the arch is positioned to contact; substantially as described.

3. In the art of concrete reinforcement, the combination of a reinforcing bar with a device for holding the bar located during pouring, said device comprising a length of wire and a relatively stifl clip for pocketing and retaining the bar, the clip presenting two looped ends and an intermediate portion therebetween, the Wire of said length having physical characteristics permitting its easy bending into an open pocket to receive the bar and its self-retention of such pocket, the wire being so bent and so receiving said bar and forming a flared arch with its portion adjacent its crown in position to contact with the bar at one side of the bar, the looped ends of the clip receiving the length of wire therein with an end adjacent a respective foot of the arch and the intermediate portion of. the clip spanning and closing the opening of the pocket and linking the archsides together and being in position for contact with the bar at the side thereof substantially opposite that with which the crown of the arch is positioned to contact; substantially as described.

l. In the art of concrete reinforcement, a device for combination with a reinforcing bar to hold the same located during pouring,

said device comprising a length of wire and a clip for pocketing and retaining the bar, the clip presenting two looped ends and an intermediate portion therebetween, the wire of said length having physical characteristics permitting its easy bending into an open pocket and its self-retention of such pocket, and the looped ends of the clip being adapted to receive the length of wire therein with an end adjacent a respective side of said pocket and said intermediate portion spanning and closing the opening of the pocket, said intermediate portion including a spacing chair of concrete-like material; substantially as described.

5. In the art of concrete reinforcement, for combination with a bar to be received in the concrete, a chair to space the bar from the form, said chair comprising a block of concrete-like material having a surface adapted to engage the form and being provided with attaching means fastened to the block to provide a unitary structure, Whereby said block and means form a self-complete member, said means being spaced from said surface by the block proper, and so from the form, thereby to be completely concealed in the poured concrete, and said means being for use in attaching the chair to the bar; substantially as described.

WILLIAM E. WHITE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, I). G. 

